St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital

501 St. Jude PlaceMemphis, TN 38105

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas and opened in 1962. It is supported primarily by funds from volunteer contributions raised by ALSAC. The national fund-raising organization established by Danny Thomas for the purpose of funding St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude also receives assistance from federal grants (mainly through the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute), insurance and investments.

St. Jude, located in Memphis, Tennessee, is one of the world's premier research centers. The institutions mission is to find cures for children with catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.

Research efforts are directed at understanding the molecular, genetic and chemical bases of catastrophic diseases in children, identifying cures for such diseases and promoting their prevention. Research is focused specifically on cancers, acquired and inherited immunodeficiencies and genetic disorders.

The current basic and clinical research at St. Jude includes work in gene therapy, bone marrow transplant, chemotherapy, the biochemistry of normal and cancerous cells, radiation treatment, blood diseases, resistance to therapy, viruses, hereditary diseases, influenza, pediatric AIDS and psychological effects of catastrophic illnesses.